Planting the solution

Planting the solution

Efforts by rural communities could save a threatened subspecies of the red-tailed black cockatoo.

Story John Dunn Photo Mike Sverns

Farmers, businesses, environmentalists and scientists are combining efforts to save an iconic Australian bird – a subspecies of the endangered red-tailed black cockatoo. Found only in south-eastern South Australia and south-western Victoria, the subspecies only has about 1000 individuals remaining.

Bird lovers here and from further afield have mounted extensive efforts to ensure that this spectacular bird, chosen as the official mascot of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, does not die out.

The latest figures, provided by annual bird counts, show that numbers of this red-tail – up to 1400 not long ago – are likely to have fallen and that poor breeding success over the past three years is a major contributor.